Self confident career planning…a short guide

A better way:

What would it be like to get up everyday excited to go to work?

Careers and work are important activities. Most of us need to work throughout our lives. And if we work full time it’s likely to be 40 hours plus a week we spend working. That’s a huge chunk of our waking lives.

Yet how many of us are truly happy at work or find meaning at work? How many of us get distracted from our dreams and settle for second or third best? How many of us go to work bored and uninspired, wishing things could be different and more exciting? How many of us have a real plan for our careers anyway? Maybe it’s time to find a better way.

Finding self confidence:

Soon you’ll learn how to fly. (Photo: M. Lowinger)

Like learning to walk, successful career planning and reaching our career goals takes self confidence, self belief and plenty of persistence. And some laughter and good humour too. We’ve all presumably been through this childhood stage of persisting at something till we achieve our aim. Full of belief and confidence in ourselves that we can get there.

Yet somewhere along the way we lose our natural self confidence. Somewhere along the way we learn “I can’t” instead of “I can”. Somewhere along the way we put up walls and boundaries around ourselves and our capabilities.

Perhaps it’s for self protection. Perhaps it’s to avoid risk and failure. Perhaps it’s to avoid fear of the unknown. But either way, it limits us and prevents us from reaching our potential and our career goals. Prevents us from fulfilling our mission in the world. Prevents us from flying.

So the challenge is to try and tap into that self confidence we all once had, and deep down surely still have. And with self confidence, we’ll not only learn how to walk with career planning, but how to run and how to fly.

Self confident career planning:

Here is a short guide to career planning that can allow your self confidence to flourish, and can help you achieve more than you ever thought possible. Will allow you to fly.

Lay the groundwork: Accept that you have worth and value by virtue of being human and being alive. This worth and value is completely unrelated to your achievements. It just is. Find that and acknowledge it. It is fundamental.

Explore the territory: Find out who you really are. Explore all your strengths. What are you good at? Maybe ask people close to you what they think your strengths are. You may be surprised to discover strengths you have forgotten you had.

Work out where you are going: Know what you really want to do with your life and with your career. What are you here on earth to do? Whatever it is there is a mission that is uniquely yours. So what change are you here to make?

Explore ways to get there: Keep your eyes on your goal. Visualise it, imagine it, feel it. Then you’ll be able to map your journey. You’ll be able to see what your options truly are. You’ll start to see challenges as opportunities. As something that will take you closer to where you want to be.

Stay on track: Take stock of where you’ve come from, where you are now, and where you are going. And if you float off track, that’s part of the journey too. Gently bring yourself back to where you want to be. And give thanks for the opportunity to keep growing.

Ask for help: It can sometimes be difficult to get started and stay on track with career planning by yourself. So consider asking for help. This may be as simple as getting the support of family or friends. Or consider working with your mentors or with a professionally trained executive coach.

Celebrate: Celebrate each step of the way, no matter how small. This way success breeds success…And soon you’ll not only be walking but running and flying. Even trying something new that could take you closer to your goal is worth celebrating. Even if it doesn’t work out. Because now you have learned what not to do…and that is as valuable as knowing what to do.

So what are you waiting for? When are you going to get started? Just think what it’s going to be like realising your dreams. And know that…”Yes you can!!!”